Manifolding machine



June 28, 1932- F. scHULTz MANIFOLDING MACHINE Filed NOV. 20, 1928 h INVENTOR Patented June 28, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANK SCHULTZ, OF GLIFFSIDE PARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO AUTOGRAPHIC` REGISTER COMPANY, 0F HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY, A COMPANY OF NEW JERSEY MANIFOLDING MACHINE Application iiled November 20, 1928. Serial No. 320,645.

This invention relates to manifolding machines, and more particularly to the type of machine adapted to retain therein record copies of the transactions written on the machine. In the machines of the type referred to, immediately in advance of a supply compartment for holding a zig-zag folded pack of continuous worksheets, there is provided strip-advancing means for feeding the strips at form-length intervals to a tear-off point. The strips to be issued are discharged from the machine at this point, and the strip to be retained in the machine is deflected to a record storage compartment located in front of the supply compartment. The present invention is particularly concerned with the control of the record strip in the record compar-tment to assist the strip in refolding therein, so that it will lie in a zig-zag folded pile, to be removed when desired thru a door or cover giving access to the record compartment.

To assist the record strip in this refolding operation, heretofore it has been proposed to provide a pair of cooperating feed rollers to engage the record strip as it leaves the usual pair of cooperating feed rollers and force it downwardly in the record compartment. In one proposal, the said auxiliary rollers had means for engaging the strip to actually crease it. lVith the proposed device, it was imperative that the strip creasing means of the auxiliary rollers operate in exact synchronism with the web feeding rollers, so that the creasing device would always engage the point in the web where the preexisting fold was located. From a practical standpoint, it was not possible in the proposed device to have this arrangement maintained invariably due to slippage between the respective strips and between the strips and feed rollers.

The present invention is an improvement on the type of device above referred to and so arranges means for giving the record strip a downward impetus that it is not critical and needs no fixed or predetermined coordination with the strip-advancing rollers. In the disclosed embodiment of this invention, this is accomplished by providing an auxiliary roller containing two or more strip-engaging annuli which are out of alignment with the feed rollers longitudinally of the strip. These strip-engaging annuli preferably operate at the peripheral speed not less than that of the feeding rollers and are frictionally engaged by the strip due to, and in accordance with, the resiliency of the strip itself. The device of the present invention is, therefore, self-accommodating, for a heavy stiff strip, such as one of Manila paper which requires the assistance of the auxiliary annuli more than a softer strip, engages the auxiliary annuli with more pressure and this is given the necessary greater downward impetus or thrust.

Anotherl feature of this invention is the provision of means for assisting in the removal of the pile of zig-Zag folded record strips from the record compartment. This means, in the form shown, comprises a combination end stop and ejector which is so ar ranged that when the end stop is engaged and pushed forward by the operators hand entering the record compartment, the piled zig- Zag folded strip is lifted from the bottom of the record compartment so that it may be easily grasped.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accomp anying drawing, which shows one form of this invention, that at present preferred: Y

Figure 1 is a top view of a manifolding register embodying the present invention, with the platen and certain other covering parts removed so as to show the interior.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a register made in accordance with this invention, the rear end of the register being broken away.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the auxiliary roller provided by the present invention, one end of the roller being shown in section to illustrate the means provided for facilitating the mounting of the roller in the register.

The register shown in the accompanying drawing, in common with other registers of the same type, comprises side plates l0 and bottom plate 11 and a platen frame 12 over which work sheets are fed from a supply compartment 13 to a writing space defined by a margin plate 14 located above the platen. At the forward end of the platen there is provided feed mechanism comprising feeding annuli 15 against which webs 16, 17 and 18 are pressed by a pressure roller 19. The pressure roller is urged against the annuli or the intervening strips by arms 20 connected to springs21 (see Fig. '2), and is enclosed by a hood 22, the front end of which'has a. tearoff knife 23. The front end of the register has a record strip compartment 24 having a cover 25 which may be swung upwardly and forwardly about a hinge 26 to give access to the interior of the record compartment 24 when desired. For the purpose of enabling the rear edge 27 of the cover to extend under the knife 23, the cover is made of two parts connected by a hinge 28.

When the strips 16, 17 and 18 are advanced by the annuli 15 and pressure roller 19, the strips 16 and 17 are issued through the space between the tear-ofi:1 knife 23 and the end 27 of the cover, while the strip 18 is lead under the end 27 of the cover into the record compartment 24.

The annuli 15 of the feedingrmechanism are secured to a. shaft 29 having at its outer end a handle or crank 30, and when the Crank is rotated the annuli 15 advance the strips until apertures 31 in the strips are entered by the annuli, whereupon further movement of the strips is discontinued. There is a pair of apertures 31 for each form, and hence rotation of the crank 30 will advance each strip only one form length at each operation,ir respective of the length of throw of the crank or difference between the form-lengths of the respective strips. To restart the strips to advance the forms which have just been written upon, a starting roller 32 by meansnot shown but well known in the art, is caused to engage the strips and advance all of them until the apertures 31 are out of range of the annuli4 and the latter engage the strips. A suitable form of mechanism for carrying out these operations is disclosed in the Shoup & Oliver Patent No. 1,396,070.

Instead of merely permitting the record strip 18 to fallby gravity into the record compartment 24 assisted by whatever impetus is given itby the annuli 15 and pressure roller 19, the present invention provides an auxiliary device acting solely upon the record strip to impart to it a downward thrust so that it will properly refold in the record compartment 24. This auxiliary device comprises a roller or shaft 33 journaled inthe side plates 10 in advance of the annuli 15 and located preferably in the same horizontal plane as the shaft 29. The auxiliary shaft 33 is provided with a pinion 34 meshing with a. gear 35 on the shaft `29 so as to be rotated concomitantly therewith. On this shaft 33 there is provided a pair of annuli 36 which engage the strip 18, the diameter of each of which is such that the peripheral speed thereof is the same as that of the feeding annuli 15, although the peripheral speed of the annuli 36 might be greater than that of the annuli 15, if desired.

As stated above, the auxiliary annuli 36 are not in alignment with the annuli 15 and hence do not engage the same. They are offsetlaterally a small amount so that the strip 18 engages them yieldingly and according to the resiliency of the strip. This arrangement makes it possible to use this auxiliary means for giving a downward impetus to the record strip 18 in a machine having a feed mechanism of the Shoup & Oliver type, so that the present mechanism when the strip ceases its movement because of the engagement of the feeding annuli 15 in the apertures 31, the drag produced by the auxiliary annuli 36 is not suiiicient to cause the record strip to be advanced. If the annuli 36 were in longitudinal alignment and engagement with the feeding annuli 15, the strip 18 would not cease its movement upon the engagement of the annuli 15 with the apertures 31 during the continued rotation of the feed shaft 29 and the crank 30 but would continue due to the traction which would then exist between the auxiliary annuli 36 and the feeding annuli 15. Moreover, the device is self-accommodating in that the pressure between the strip and the auxiliary annuli 36 is greater when a stiff worksheet such as Manila paper is used, and hence a greater downward impetus is given, as is needed, to the heavier and stiffer material.

In order to increase the traction between the record strip 18 and the annuli 36, it is preferable at the surface that the annuli be made of rubber or other tacky material, and this may be corrugated to increase the etticacy of the device.

To facilitate the loading of the machine, the auxiliary shaft 33 with its annuli 36 is removably mounted in the frame so that in placing the edge of the record strip 18 in the record compartment 24 it is unnecessary to thread the strip between the feeding annuli 15 and the auxiliary annuli 36. To accomplish this, the side plates 10 are provided with apertures 37, one at each side of the machine, and the ends of the shaft 33 are provided with pins 38 and 39. The pin 38 merely constitutes a reduced end of the shaft 33, while the pin 39 is a separate piece mounted in a. hollow end 40 of the shaft 33 and pressed outwardly by a spring` 41.v Hence, to apply the auxiliary shaft 33 to the machine, the movable pin 39 is first placed in the adjacent aperture 37 and then the shaft is forced sidewise until it aligns with its aperture 37, and then the gears 34 and 35 are caused to mesh and. the shaft is allowed to slide outcaw,

wardly under the inuence of the spring 41 so that the pin 38 enters its aperture 37.

The position of the refolded pack in the record compartment is controlled and the operation of refolding facilitated by the provision of end walls or stops 42 and 43 in the record compartment, the end stop 42 constitutes the wall between the supply compartment 13 and the record compartment 24 and has a forward extension 44 curved around the starting mechanism so as to prevent the record strip 18 from becoming` caught thereon. The web-advancing means and the auX- iliary annuli are located in the compartment midway between the end walls 42 and 43 so that the strip 18 will, with equal facility, bend either toward the wall 42 or the wall 43, according to the direction in which theI fold extends.

The front stop or wall 43 is, according to this invention, pivotally mounted at 46 on the bottom 11 of the register, so that when the operators lingers engage it, when attempting to remove the record-strip stack, the stop 43 will yield forwardly and facilitate the entrance of the operators iingers.

To further facilitate this operation, the end wall 43 is provided with a right angle extension 45 normally lying parallel with the bottom 11 of the register and adapted to raise the record-strip stack therefrom to permit the insertion of the operators fingers when the front stop or wall 43 is moved forwardly by the fingers or other part of the hand by the operator.

It has been found in practice that when the device of the present invention is employed, the thrust given to the record strip, being practically vertical, adds suiiicient pressure to the record strip to cause both the righthand and left-hand folds properly to occur.

Variations and modifications may be made. within the scope of this invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and for which it is desired to obtain Letters Patent, is

1. In a manifolding machine, web-advancing rollers; a record strip storage compartment; and a roller operated by the advancing rollers and adapted at all times to be out of feeding contact therewith for engaging a record-strip to give the latter a downward impetus in said compartment.

2. In a manifolding machine, web-advancing means; a storage compartment; and rotary web engaging means in the storage compartment laterally offset with relation to said web-advancing means and adapted to frictionally engage a record-strip to give the latter a downward impetus in the storage compartment while the record strip is simultaneously engaged by the web-advancing means.

3. In a manifolding machine, web-advancing means; a storage compartment, said webadvancing means comprising a pair of annuli; and rotary web-engaging means in said storage compartment arranged echelon with the feeding annuli and adapted to engage the web simultaneously with the feedingl annuli to give the web a downward impetus in said storage compartment.

4. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storage compartment, said webfeeding means comprising a pair of annuli; rotary web-engaging means in said storage compartment arranged in echelon with the feeding annuli and adapted to engage the web simultaneously with the feeding annuli to give the web a downward impetus in the storage compartment; and driving means for said web-engaging means in the storage compartment for operating the same concomitantly with the web-advancing means.

5. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storage compartment; said webfeeding means comprising a pair of annuli; rotary web-engaging means in said storage compartment arranged in echelon With the feeding annuli and adapted to engage the web simultaneously with the feeding annuli to give the web a downward impetus in the storage compartment; driving means for said web-engaging means in the storage compartment for operating the same concomitantly with the web-feeding means; and means for removably supporting said web-engaging means in the storage compartment to give free access to the latter.

6. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storage compartment, said webfeeding means comprising a pair of annuli; rotary web-engaging means in said storage compartment arranged in echelon with the feeding annuli and adapted to engage the web simultaneously with the feeding annuli to give the web a downward impetus in the storage compartment; driving means for said web-engaging means in the storage compartment for operating the same concomitantly with the web-feeding means; and means for removably supporting said web-engaging means in the storage compartment to give free access to the latter, said driving means being supported for removal with the webengaging means.

7. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means comprising means which upon engaging apertures in the webs renders the webfeeding means inoperative to continue the feeding of the web; rotary web-engaging means in advance of said feeding means and adapted to continuously engage the web to impart thereto an impetus while the web is being fed by said feeding means, said engagement being impositive so that said web-engaging means is inoperative alone to cause movement of the web upon cessation of movement of the webV when the feeding means engages the apertures in the web.

8. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means comprising means which upon engaging apertures in the webs renders the feeding means inoperative to continue the feeding of the web; rotary web-engaging means in advance of said feeding means and adapted to continuously engage the web to impart thereto an impetus while the web is being fed by said feeding means; and means for driving said web-engaging means by said web-feeding means, said web-engaging means engaging the web impositively so as to be inoperative alone to advance the web upon cessation of movement of the web when the web-feeding means engages the apertures in the web even though said web-engaging means continues to be driven by said web-feeding means.

9. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storage compartment, said webfeeding means comprising a pair of annuli; and web-engaging means in said storage compartment arranged in echelon with the feeding annuli and adapted to engage the web simultaneously with the feeding annuli and impart to the web a downward impetus, said web-engaging means being so located with respect to the said feeding means that the transverse plane of contact of the web-engaging means coincides with the transverse line of Contact of the web-feeding means.

l0. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storage compartment, said webfeeding means comprising a pair of annuli; and rotary web-engaging means in said storage compartment arranged in echelon with the feeding annuli and adapted to engage the web simultaneously with the feeding annuli, the web-engaging means being adapted to rotatably and frictionally engage the web, the pressure of the web against the web-engaging means depending upon the resiliency of the web and being greater or less according to whether the web is stift or pliant.

l1. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; and a storage compartment into which a record strip is fed by said feeding means, said storage compartment having end walls, one of said end walls being pivotally mounted so as to facilitate the entrance of the operators fingers between the same and the record strip stack and being provided with means lying under the stack so that when said end wall is pivotally moved by the operators hand the stack is elevated in the record compartment to permit the insertion of the operators fingers under the stack.

12. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storage compartment; and web-engaging means in the storage compartment laterally offset with relation to said web-feeding means and adapted to frictionally engage a record strip to give the latter a downward impetus in the storage compartment while the record strip is simultaneously engaged by the web-feeding means, said web-engaging means comprising a pair of rubber annuli.

13. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; a storagecompartment; and rotary web-engaging means in the storage compartment laterally offset with relation to said webfeeding means and adapted to frictionally engage a record strip to give the latter a. downward impetus in the storage compartment while the record stripis simultaneously engaged by the web-feeding means, said webengaging means being corrugated.

14. In a manifolding machine, web-feeding means; and a record storage compartment into which a record strip is fed by said feeding means to form a stack, said record storage compartment having side and end walls and a 'top wall formed by a door, a wall in the storage compartment under the door adapted to be engaged by the record strip stack and pivotally mounted for movement away from the stack to facilitate entrance of the operators lingers between the pivoted wall and the stack when the operators hand is inserted through the opened top door of the record compartment.

Signed at Hoboken, in the county of Hudson and State of New Jersey, this 15th day of November, 1928.

FRANK SCHULTZ.

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